


Perfect

by Imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, first real date, nico has first date nerves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 08:50:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16114991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch/pseuds/Imgonnabeyourbubblegumwitch
Summary: Nico just wanted the date to be perfect but everything seems to keep going wrong.





	Perfect

Nico knew his day was probably doomed when the restaurant he'd wanted to take Will to was closed. They'd gone to one down the road, and Will had hardly seemed bothered at all, had barely seemed to register the slight inconvenience, but Nico noticed. It was the first thing to go wrong.

Now Will sat opposite him, reading through the menu with a very faint frown and Nico tried not to notice, but what if Will hated all the food here? He'd chosen the other place because they did a great risotto and he knew Will liked risotto. The other place had been perfect.

Will glanced up. He saw Nico's expression and gave him a questioning look.

"Can't choose?"

Nico hastily glanced down at the menu in front of him.

"Chosen," he lied. "I'm having the burger."

A burger was a safe bet. You couldn't go wrong with a burger. Except he'd never seen Will eat a burger. Did Will like burgers? How did he not know whether or not Will like burgers?

 _Relax_.

It was easier said than done. They were sitting in a table by the window. The sun slanted in through the curtains, settling directly in Will's eyes. Maybe, actually that was why he was frowning. It didn't have to be that he hated all the food, and the date, and Nico.

That was an overreaction. He'd promised Piper, hand on heart that he wouldn't overreact when she'd caught him skim reading Twilight. He'd found it in the Aphrodite cabin, and he didn't need romantic advice, exactly, but he did believe in getting a rounded viewpoint or something. That's what he'd told Piper anyway. She hadn't believed him and told him the date would go fine. (She’d also been of the opinion Twilight was trash and why was he going to that for romantic advice?). But what did she know? The stupid restaurant had shut.

"Nico?"

Nico blinked. There was a waiter by their table, looking at him expectantly. Nico's cheeks felt warm and he stuttered out his order.

"And to drink?"

Will ordered a coke. Nico asked for water because he really didn't need to be any more jittery. He was already paranoid that Will could see that his hands were shaking.

Relax. This was just like any other time they were together on campus, except that they weren't on campus and he had organised this specially and if it failed, he _failed_. This had to be perfect.

But no pressure.

Will was watching the waiter leave, chin in hand. He stifled a yawn.

"Sorry," he said. "I was up half the night. Someone decided to knock out Sherman."

His tone was gently teasing. That someone had been Nico; an accidental casualty of capture the flag. Nico had never injured another camper in a game before, accidentally or intentionally, but trust him to do it the night before his first real date with his first boyfriend.

"It was an accident," Nico protested. "Could have happened to anyone."

 "Yes," Will agreed. "Anyone could have ignored me when I said they probably weren't ready for shadow travel and appeared on top of Sherman. Easily done."

"Exactly."

Will smiled. The sun was still in his eyes, and his hair. He looked so bright and suddenly Nico had no idea what to say to him. He fumbled for something, anything, aware that they'd fallen into silence. His tongue was leaden, it didn't seem to want to move and anything he wanted to say got caught in his throat.

It was just Will.

Will Solace who had sat up half the night with Sherman making sure he was okay. Will Solace who had spent at least another hour with Nico gently assuaging Nico's guilt-ridden panic. Will Solace who was too freaking beautiful for it to be fair, for it to make sense.

"Did you find the bandages?"

Stupid question. Why had he said that?

"Yes!" Will said with enthusiasm born of outrage. "Connor had them. I specifically asked him too and I guess I should be angry at myself for believing him when he insisted he had no clue where they were."

"What did Connor want with bandages?"

Will rolled his eyes.

"The Mummy," he said. "They'd all watched it. I assume it was going to be part of some hilarious prank to scare Cecil who had a thing about Imhotep."

"So you took the bandages back?"

Will had taken a sip of his coke. He looked at Nico over the rim, eyes sparkling and a mischievous grin forming.

"No."

Nico laughed.

The food came. Nico's burger was enormous and he really should have thought this through because how was he supposed to eat that? Will looked at the ravioli in front of him with slight confusion. There was a beat, the waiter frowned and then hurriedly pulled out his notebook.

"It's okay," Will said quickly. "I don't mind."

The waiter frowned deeper.

"I can ask the kitchen to make you the carbonara?"

"Really," Will said. "I like ravioli. It's fine."

The other restaurant would have gotten Will's order right. Why had they closed?

"Is it okay?" Nico asked as Will took his first bite.

"It's really nice," Will answered.

Nico was far too relieved about that. He looked down at his own plate. The burger sat there. Was he supposed to use a knife and fork? How did he cut it? He glanced surreptitiously around but couldn't see anyone else with a burger.

"You okay Nico?"

Will was watching him.

"You want to swap?" Will asked.

Nico quickly shook his head. He rushed to pick up the burger and managed to knock the water over in his haste. Nico rightened the glass as Will reached for his napkin to stem the pool of water that was quickly flowing towards his end of the table.

"Sorry," Nico said quietly.

Will gave him a slightly confused look.

"Happens," he said.

Will chatted as he ate and Nico tried to answer as naturally as possible. His tongue barely seemed to work properly and his fingers were clumsy. He gave up after only half of the burger and picked at the fries. Will finished his ravioli.

Nico, despite Twilight (or maybe because of it), wasn't really sure of date protocol. Would Will want desert? Was he supposed to ask or did he let the waiter?

"Hey," Will said. He was smiling slightly. "You've gone quiet. What are you thinking?"

Nico could clearly hear the subtext of what are you over-thinking. He had a reputation. It was fairly warranted.

"Nothing," he said. "Desert," he amended.

Will laughed.

"Most important part of the meal," he agreed. "I'm kind of full though. We could share?"

They chose a cheesecake. Nico was even more hyper aware of how he was eating, aware of when his fingers brushed Will's. He stopped before he'd eaten his fair half: his stomach felt fluttery. Will seemed to notice him noticing, but the look he sent Nico from under his eyelashes was accompanied by a smile that was so fond it made Nico feel shaken and weak and more vulnerable than he knew he could be. It was a little counterproductive.

Will was perfect and it was utterly terrifying.

He was glad for the distraction of the bill. Nico insisted on paying, and fumbled with the notes and the catch on his wallet. His hands were shaking as he put his wallet away, and when he stood the ground didn't feel anywhere near solid enough. He walked quickly out of the restaurant, too quickly he realised when several metres down the road Will called after him.

"Nico! Wait up!"

There was laughter in his voice, but Nico felt himself blush anyway. He was fairly sure date protocol _didn't_ involve leaving your boyfriend behind.

"What's up?" Will asked. "You suddenly seemed desperate to get out of there. Was it really that bad?”

"It was okay," Nico said with a shrug. "But they messed up your order, and I spilt water on you."

Will was trying not to smile and Nico glared at him.

"It wasn't perfect," Nico said, frustrated. "I wanted it to be perfect."

Will gave up trying not to smile and laughed.

"Nico it was," he said.

Nico stared at him.

"I had fun," Will said gently. "Didn't you?"

Nico supposed he had. in between everything. He liked listening to Will talk, he like watching Will's smiles.

He also kind of hated the way Will made him feel raw and scared and like everything was brand new. He hated the way he was so nervous, and how his chest was tight and his hands were shaking and how Will was all he could see. He took a step closer to Will and his heart constricted in response. How was Will more real here than when they were together at camp?

"I guess," Nico said grudging, "that you weren't bad company."

Will raised an eyebrow with a trace of a smirk beginning to form. He was infuriating.

Nico leant forward and kissed him.

It was perfect.

 


End file.
